Intro To Podcasting Manual

INTRODUCTION TO
PODCASTING MANUAL

INTRODUCTION TO PODCASTING MANUAL

Welcome to this Introductory Podcasting Manual. This manual has been compiled from
material and feedback from basic podcasting workshops that were run in Suva Fiji in
2018 by Anja Kanngieser, with assistance from Krystelle Lavaki Danford, Mere Nailatikau
and Holly Ingleton for the Climates of Listening project. It is a simple guide on:

- What a podcast is;

What to think about when making a podcast;

And easy instructions on audio editing.

It is designed to be shared, copied and used to introduce other people to podcasting.

What Is A Podcast

A podcast is a digital audio file that is accessible online and can be listened to via
streaming or downloading to your phone, computer or device. It usually comes as part
of a series of shows. Podcasting is more or less your own Internet radio show: anyone
can make one with some equipment (basic computer or phone with microphone, headphones),
basic audio editing skills and access to the Internet. It can also be listened to
by people around the world - you can make it for a very specific audience, or for an
international audience. The most crucial thing about podcasting is that it supports
SELF REPRESENTATION. You get to choose the topic, how you tell your story, how you edit
your story and who hears it. This is your story, in your voice and in your own words.

It also allows people to remain anonymous, if you are working with people who want
their voices heard but want to remain unseen, this is a good way to do it.

WHAT MAKES A GOOD PODCAST

There are 3 key things that make a good podcast:
knowing your audience;

- being passionate about your content;

- and knowing how to tell your story.

1) Knowing Your Audience

This is a key point. Who you want your audience to be will shape your whole podcast.

Your audience determines not only the content of your podcast, but how you tell your

story. If you want your audience to be based in your own group of friends, town,
country or region you will need to think about what language, dialect and slang you
use; different kinds of audio cues that signal your environment (local sounds, music,
accents etc); and how to make the content of your show reflect local realities. If you
want your show to be international, think about connecting it to global issues so that
someone on the other side of the world is invited into your world. You might have to

explain things more, or draw larger reference points: you can't assume they have any

knowledge of your life at all.

2) Being Passionate About Your Content

Whether making a podcast for a local or international audience, the way to get people
to listen and to keep listening is to be passionate about what you are saying. It
doesn't matter what your podcast is about - if you care about it, that will come
through. Even the most everyday things become exciting when the person telling you
about it is excited. So make sure you choose a topic that really excites you and that
you want to talk about.

3) Knowing How To Tell Your Story

How you tell your story depends on your audience, and what kind of radio show you want
to make. Do you want to tell it in a conversational style? Do you want to have short
and very journalistic interviews? Do you want to make a one-off show or a three part
series or an eight part series? Do you want each podcast to go for 10 minutes, 20
minutes or 2 hours? All these kinds of decisions will shape how you tell your story.

A lot of podcasts available today are made for American and European audiences. You
don't need to make a podcast like that if you don't want to. You can make a podcast and
tell your story in whatever way you like. However you tell your story, you will have to
think about how you combine conversations/ interviews, music and sounds.

What is important in whatever way you tell your story is to think about your listener.
Often times people will do other things while listening to radio so you need to make
sure that if they are doing other things there are ways for them to keep connected to
your story. Keeping a strong thematic thread throughout the show is one way to help
guide the listener - that means making it clear again and again what the podcast is
about. It can be useful to have an introduction and a conclusion to each podcast so
that the person listening knows what the show is about and what the next show will be
about. You want to make it as easy as possible for your listener to follow along and
feel included.

RECORDING YOUR PODCAST

Podcasts are usually about 20 mins long per episode but you can make it as long or as
short as you want - it's entirely up to you. If you want to make a show over 40 mins,
consider splitting it into two shows, or really think about how you will keep your
listeners' attention - think about the maximum amount of time you would spend listening
to a radio show, and what makes listening interesting (like music, sounds, bringing in
different voices, etc).

Along with the words you use, the sounds and music you include also tell a story- the
sound is a character or voice itself, just like your voice is a sound. Identify your
shows' theme or themes and pick sounds and songs that compliment your theme, the mood
you are trying to create and the content of what people are saying. Sounds are also
extremely useful at helping people to imagine things - for instance, the sound of the
ocean will remind people of their experiences of the ocean, if you talk about a dog
or put in a dog barking they will think of their own dog or experience of a dog. Sound
also helps to locate or embed your interview - recording background sounds when you are
talking about somewhere specific can really bring that place to life.

TIP

Think about making a storyboard or podcast plan to organise your material. A storyboard
or plan can help you figure out your main theme, and how you want to link all of your
different components to your podcast theme (songs, interviews, sounds etc).

Podcast storyboard explanation: https://
www.youtube.com/watch?v=SwPPU5rU_os

When recording interviews make sure
to listen out for loud fan and air-
conditioner noises, appliance and machine
noises, cars, etc in the background -
these can all drown out the speakers'
voices if they are too loud.

When recording people for interviews make
sure you choose somewhere inside or, if
you have to record outside, try to find
somewhere protected from wind and loud
noises to record.

If they are not too loud, background
sounds like these, or sounds of birds/
other people/ the ocean/ shops etc, can
add a great atmosphere and give a good
sense of the location the recording is
taking place in.

Ask your interviewee to speak clearly:
check that you can easily hear what they
are saying, and ask them to talk slowly
and explain any words or phrases that
might be complicated. If you have a clear
plan of what you want your interviewee
to speak about, make sure you ask direct
questions (this is less important if you
are making a conversation based show). You
can always edit things later, but to save
time it helps to know the direction you
want to go in so you have less work to do
post-production.

Last but not least, think about you, the presenter. Listeners will listen partly for
your excellent content but mainly for who you are. Think about how you talk, slowly and
clearly, and what kind of personality you are trying to communicate. Do you want to be
funny, serious, charming, humble? What are things you want people to know and remember
about you? How will they connect to you? What is most important is that you feel
comfortable and confident, and that you're excited about your topic.

More info on how to make a podcast here: http://www.audiocraft.com.au/how-to-make-a-
podcast#guide-to-podcasting

EDITING YOUR PODCAST

When editing your podcast, remember that it's common to find it weird to hear your own
voice. Make sure you are editing your show to be sound like something YOU would like to
hear. Everyone has different tastes, and you are making your show in your style. Think
about allowing enough space for voices to 'breathe' - don't be afraid of leaving some
pockets of silence, or quieter gaps; leave some space between two different voices.

When you listen back check for how the sounds make you feel - do they feel rushed or a
good pace? Could they be highlighted with some background sounds or music? Think about
the show as a composition where you're bringing together a bunch of different elements
into one big whole - how do they work together?

Make sure to name all of your audio files in an easy to understand and organised way to
avoid confusion when you have to put the files into the audio program

Audio Editing Software - Audacity

One of the easiest editing programs you can get is Audacity . It is free, open source
and available online:

(for PC Windows) https://www.audacityteam.org/download/windows/

(for Mac) https://www.audacityteam.org/download/mac/

There is also a manual included with your download and one available online:
http://manual.audacityteam.org/

To export your completed podcast as an MP3 in Audacity you will also need to install
the LAME MP3 Encoder, which is a software library that converts audio to MP3.

1) Go to http://manual.audacityteam.Org/man/faq_installation_and_plug_ins.html#lame and
select the LAME installation section for your operating system (PC Windows or Mac)
to find out more

2) Go to LAME download page: https://lame.buanz 0 . 0 rg/#lamewindl

3) Download, run and install:

(for PC Windows) The RECOMMENDED Installer Package for Windows is labelled
Lame_ v3.99.3_for_Windows.exe

(for Mac) The RECOMMENDED Installer Package for LAME on OSX is labelled
Lame Library v3.99.5 for Audacity on macOS.dmg

AUDIO EDITING WITH AUDACITY

Guide to the Audacity project window:

Basic editing you will use
to make your podcast.

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Make sure you save your
project every time you make
a change to it

Guide to the Audacity Project Window

1 M*r j Bjr 2 Trantport Toolbar 3 Tool* Toolbar 4 Racerdnfl Hriw 'cottJr 5 Playback M.t.r Too bar 6 Wiw Toolbar
7 Edit Toolbar 8 Traracnpoon Toolbar 9 Device Toolbar 10 Unpinned Ptty.Recordine Head 11 Ttowllne 12 Scrub Ruler
13 Track Control Panel 14 Aud .0 Track 15 Label Trick 16 Selection Toolbar 17 Sutvs Bar

Hover over and dick on the image to learn more.

1) This is how you get your
audio file into an Audacity
proj ect

a) Go to File drop down bar

b) Select Import

c) Select Audio

d) Repeat until all of your
files are in your project

2) This is how you see
your entire project on your
screen at the same time

a)

Go to

View drop down

menu

b)

Select

Track Size

c)

Select

Fit to Width

d)

Repeat

process with Fit

to Height

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Project Rale (Hz)

Snap-To Audio Poston

Start and End of Selection

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3) This is how you zoom in
and out to edit your tracks

a) To zoom in click on the
magnifier with the plus
sign (+) in the top
right Tools Toolbar

b) To zoom out click on the
magnifier with the minus
sign (-) in the top
right Tools Toolbar

4) This is how you split

(cut) a track to edit it

a) Place the pointer tool
on the place on the
track where you want to
cut it

b) Go to the Edit drop
down menu

c) Select Clip Boundaries

d) Select Split

Mon* Go

o

X

5) This is how you move the
cut sections of your
tracks apart or together

a) Select the Time Shift
Tool (<-->) from the top
middle Tools Toolbar

b) Left Click your mouse

c) Drag the selected audio
left or right, or into
another track

Start and End of Selection

6) This is how you delete
sections of your track

a) Highlight the section
of the track you want
to get rid of using the
pointer tool

b) Select the Scissors (8X)
from the top right Tools
Toolbar

c) Cut the highlighted
section

7) This is how you fade
your track in and out
at the start and end,
or where two tracks
are merging

a) Highlight the section
you want to fade
(usually the start or
end of a track)

b) Go to the Effect drop
down menu

c) Select Fade In (start of
track) or Fade Out (end
of track)

8) This is how to amplify
or decrease your audio
levels

a) Go to Effect drop down
menu

b) Select Amplify

c) Move the blue arrow on
the Amplification line
right to increase volume
and left to decrease
volume

d) Click on Preview to
check your audio level

e) Click OK to save audio
level

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9) This is how you add a
new empty track to your
proj ect

a) Go to Tracks from the
drop down menu

b) Select Add New

c) Select Stereo Track

A 07 let Go

o x

Project Rate H:) Snap To Pojitxxr Stan ana Ena ol Selection

[44100 v o« v loonoomooooo«* |oohoomooooo»* loonoomooooot*

10)This is how you export
your finished project
off Audacity onto your
desktop

a) Go to File drop down
menu

b) Select Export

c) Select Export as MP3

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Detent Filet

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Sere Project
Save Project Ai¬
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Import
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(•port at WAN
Export at OGG

(■port Audio Ctlt>SMtr|

Export Selected Audio-.

11*0 1M0

d) From the Export Audio
pop-up window select 320
kpbs from the Quality
drop-down menu, name
your file and save

Project Rate (My Snap To Position Start and End ol Salomon

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3

3

e) In the Metadata box fill
in the details

f) Click OK

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If you want to include sound effects in your podcast here are some good websites for

free sound effects

Freesound https://freesound.org/

FilmS ound http : //films ound. org/sound-effects/libraries . htm
Archive.Org https://archive.org/

PODCAST HOSTING AND BUILDING AN AUDIENCE

Once you have your podcast as an MP3 file on your computer, you will have to decide
where you want to host it online. Here are some options for free hosting:

Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/

Mixcloud https://www.mixcloud.com/

Buzzsprout https://www.buzzsprout.com/

When you are filling out the details of your podcast make sure you include as much
information as possible. Name your podcast something that clearly describes it and
number it (ie. Listening to Climate Change Episode 1). Write up a clear and easy to
understand description for your podcast. If you have interviews in your podcast make
sure to name your interviewees (if they want to be named), and make sure to attribute
any music you use to the musicians. It is really important to attribute the content to
the people who contributed. You may have an option to tag your podcast: make sure you
use as many relevant tags as possible as this broadens the scope of the search terms
people use to find it (ie. for Listening to Climate Change I might tag it as: climate
change, environment, audio, interviews, oceans. Pacific, Fiji, women, weather, science,
human rights).

You should be given a link for your uploaded podcast. This is the link that you can
give to people/ share on social media to access your podcast online.

Podcasts You Might Find Interesting

- Two Fishes show from Fiji https://soundcloud.com/twofishesshow

- Who Asked Her from PNG https://soundcloud.com/hoskeder-theodcast

- Podcast on science fiction from Aotearoa http://thewireless.co.nz/articles/aotearoa-
futurism-space-maori-astronesians-and-south-pacific-futurists

- A list of Indigenous podcasts from around the world https://newjourneys.ca/en/
articles/11-indigenous-podcasts-for-your-listening-pleasure

https://www.mediaindigena.com/an-index-of-indigenous-podcasts/

- Indigenous podcasts from Australia http://www.abc.net.au/indigenous/radio/
podcasts.htm

- Pop culture podcast from New York https://soundcloud.com/theread

- List of podcasts by LGBTQIA women http://www.lotl.com/Culture/5-Best-Podcasts-
Hosted-By-LGBTQ-Women-198 6/

- Black Girl Dangerous podcast https://soundcloud.com/user-437512590/tracks

This manual was produced by Anja Kanngieser, Holly Ingleton, Mere Nailatikau and
Krystelle Lavaki Danford.

This manual is licensed under an Attribution+Noncommercial+ShareAlike License
https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.O/nl/deed.en_US